After the people put God to the test, He sends deadly serpents among them. The terrified Israelites beg Moses to appeal to the Lord to end this plague. However, rather than removing the serpents, the Lord gives peculiar instructions. He tells Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole, to which anyone bitten by
As the Israelite nation approaches the borders of Canaan, they encounter two powerful Amorite kings. The Lord calls His people to defeat both kings, wipe out all their people and take possession of their lands. But wait… isn’t that genocide? How could a loving God condone something like that? In this message we wrestle that age-old
The Great Victories over Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:10-35) View Lesson
The Great Victories over Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:10-35) View Lesson
Here we encounter the famous story of Balaam and his talking donkey. The prophet Balaam is an important character for Christians to know, since Jesus, Peter and Jude all refer to him in the New Testament. His life is used to warn us of how corrupt leaders and teachers will enter the church. We also
The wicked king of Moab asks Balaam to curse Israel. Instead, Balaam speaks four prophecies to bless God's people and foretell the coming of the Son of God. Balaam's prophecies, rarely referenced today, were used by the early Church to bring nonbelievers to repentance and faith in Christ. May we learn to do the same!
After Midianite women lead Israel’s men into sexual immorality and idolatry, the Lord brings a plague in which 24,000 die. Paul points to this story as a warning for Christians, regarding the dangers of sexual immorality. In this lesson we take a hard look at this sin, and what it will take for us to
Sexual Immorality and the Zeal of Phinehas (Numbers 25) View Lesson
Sexual Immorality and the Zeal of Phinehas (Numbers 25) View Lesson
The Lord commands Moses to take a second census, confirming that nearly all the men from the first census died in the desert before they reached the Promised Land. We wrestle with the sobering fact that only a few will be saved, and how we reconcile that with the nature of God, who is full
The Second Census and the Sons of Korah (Numbers 26) View Lesson
The Second Census and the Sons of Korah (Numbers 26) View Lesson
Moses, told he is about to die, expresses concern for the people he will leave behind. He does not want them to be “like sheep having no shepherd”. In reply, the Lord instructs him to lay hands on Joshua, who will become his successor. Early Christians saw great significance in Joshua (in Greek = Jesus)
The offerings and festivals of the old covenant provide rich foreshadowings of what would later be revealed through Jesus. They continue to offer practical insights for us today, even though we no longer are bound to observe the Law of Moses. We also consider what the Law said regarding oaths and swearing, which Jesus expanded
In the defeat of the Midianites, we learn that Balaam, a casualty of the battle, was the one responsible for teaching the Midianites to entice the Israelite men into immorality and idolatry. Jesus will refer to that episode in addressing false teachers in the church. After the battle, the Lord gives instruction for purification by